Why it's done

A bone marrow exam offers detailed information about the condition of your bone marrow and blood cells.

Your doctor may order a bone marrow exam if blood tests are abnormal or don't provide enough information about a suspected problem.

Your doctor may perform a bone marrow exam to:

• Diagnose a disease or condition involving the bone marrow or blood cells
• Determine the stage or progression of a disease
• Determine whether iron levels are adequate
• Monitor treatment of a disease
• Investigate a fever of unknown origin

A bone marrow exam may be used for many conditions. These include:

• Anemia
• Blood cell conditions in which too few or too many of certain types of blood cells are produced, such as leukopenia, leukocytosis, thrombocytopenia, thrombocytosis, pancytopenia and polycythemia
• Cancers of the blood or bone marrow, including leukemias, lymphomas and multiple myeloma
• Cancers that have spread from another area, such as the breast, into the bone marrow
• Hemochromatosis
• Fevers of unknown origin